G2A, Which Battery best for running accessories?

[shibbershabber]

Cleaning up an old G2A and plan on adding a light bar and maybe a stereo later on.

Ive read a lot, but nothing definitive.


Ive seen standard car batteries... Marine Starting batteries and regular deep cycle batteries being used...

Everyone has what they have and no one complains...


So whats the verdict?


I wouldnt be using the light much at all while NOT driving...
Stereo would run while stopped of course, also maybe have something running off a 12v socket like a phone charger, etc.

Deep Cycle best option?
Not enough for starting power after running the stereo for an hour?

Maybe one of those Dual Purpose batteries?

Stick with a standard starting battery?

[sho305]

I really like my battery, its a boat battery but not a deep cycle. It has car posts and the stud mounts with wing nuts for a boat. Nice part is you hook your accessories to the boat posts easy as can be. You can run a solenoid off the key if you want them switched. A few years ago when I bought it at walmart for near $60 it was like $8 more than the cheapest car battery they had.

You can run a car stereo off a good battery for a LONG time, if it is just the head unit stereo and no amps. Amps take more power. Class D amps take the least if you need to use one.

Deep cycle will hold more power, but a real deep cycle takes long time to charge and will not deliver a lot of current at once. They will start a cart because carts take little power to start, nothing like a car does. I ran my cart on a jumper pack (gel battery about size of a motorcycle battery) half of a summer because I was going to buy a new battery the next spring and not let it sit over winter. A car battery is overkill in a cart, just the cheapest universal battery with the posts in usable place will run a cart just fine. Why, because they last many years unlike lawn batteries, and GC do not like dead battery carts to take care of. The G2 has a spec battery for it but I forget what size...it is a "Group 24". Any car battery with similar posts (that cables can reach) that fit in the cart will work.

Starting power is only 40A so likely a deep cycle would work but I don't see the point of using one unless you play the radio all day and then put it on the charger for a long time.

With 1,000W rms of 2 amplifiers I could run my car stereo maybe 30% volume for about 3-4 hours before starting becomes a problem, this is a small car battery in a 4 cylinder car. It was loud enough to hear a song well maybe 40' away, still hear it some 100' away. It would not fit a larger battery, since I did not do that very often I never put a battery in the trunk.

Another tip is LED lights take way less power, unless they are huge.

[CP241]

Optima battery, no question best automotive batteries on the market. They are pricey, but last forever, hold up to all sorts of abuse, and are time proven. Red top is a great all purpose battery. I've had a red top in a 4runner that wasnt tied down. It got a little claustrophobic with my power steering pulley off road, and wore 2 grooves in the side of the battery. Holes went all the way through, about 2 inches long each. I daily drove that truck for 2 years after that, before the battery finally gave out and died. It always had white crusty stuff growing out of the grooves lol. It was about 8 years old when it finally quit.

[shibbershabber]

Originally Posted by sho305

I really like my battery, its a boat battery but not a deep cycle. It has car posts and the stud mounts with wing nuts for a boat. Nice part is you hook your accessories to the boat posts easy as can be. You can run a solenoid off the key if you want them switched. A few years ago when I bought it at walmart for near $60 it was like $8 more than the cheapest car battery they had.

You can run a car stereo off a good battery for a LONG time, if it is just the head unit stereo and no amps. Amps take more power. Class D amps take the least if you need to use one.

Deep cycle will hold more power, but a real deep cycle takes long time to charge and will not deliver a lot of current at once. They will start a cart because carts take little power to start, nothing like a car does. I ran my cart on a jumper pack (gel battery about size of a motorcycle battery) half of a summer because I was going to buy a new battery the next spring and not let it sit over winter. A car battery is overkill in a cart, just the cheapest universal battery with the posts in usable place will run a cart just fine. Why, because they last many years unlike lawn batteries, and GC do not like dead battery carts to take care of. The G2 has a spec battery for it but I forget what size...it is a "Group 24". Any car battery with similar posts (that cables can reach) that fit in the cart will work.

Starting power is only 40A so likely a deep cycle would work but I don't see the point of using one unless you play the radio all day and then put it on the charger for a long time.

With 1,000W rms of 2 amplifiers I could run my car stereo maybe 30% volume for about 3-4 hours before starting becomes a problem, this is a small car battery in a 4 cylinder car. It was loud enough to hear a song well maybe 40' away, still hear it some 100' away. It would not fit a larger battery, since I did not do that very often I never put a battery in the trunk.

Another tip is LED lights take way less power, unless they are huge.

Something like this?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart...24MS/105864134

I am eyeing an optima, but I need to get the cart up and running again.... dont want to drop $200 on a battery until I know the status of the rest of the cart.
But also, when it is going I want to have something decent to keep it powered while I continue the restoration.


Let me know if thats similar to the battery you got... Ill see about picking one up tomorrow.

Thanks!

[CP241]

If you want to get the cart running first, and you're not sure at this point if it's going to actually GET running, get a $25 lawnmower battery. That will serve you fine for that purpose. I understand that completely. First starting a project, if you're not sure what direction you're going to go with it, if it's ever going to actually run, need a clone swap, or just decide it's cost prohibitive to fix it.... been there.

Or if you like the optima, go for it. Worst case, if the cart doesn't work out, you could put it in another cart. Or put it on the shelf in the garage for when the battery in your car dies. That battery will probably outlast most cars lol. perhaps overkill for a golf cart, but if you like to listen to the radio for extended amounts of time, or work at night and want to use the light bar to light up what you're working on, it may be a good investment to know it'll start when you're done.

I've used just regular lawnmower batteries with no problems. I've used Optima with no problems. LAwnmower batteries are cheap, and it doesn't take a whole lot of juice to get the cart started. It doesn't need several hundred amps of current to start the motor like a car does, so doesn't really need a huge battery to get going. Really, pretty much any battery will work fine in a golf cart, which is why you don't typically see anyone complaining about the battery in a gas golf cart.

[shibbershabber]

Originally Posted by CP241

which is why you don't typically see anyone complaining about the battery in a gas golf cart.

I guess that sums it up right there.

explains why I had trouble finding much info on it... Seems its at the bottom of the list of concerns.

Thanks!

[sho305]

Originally Posted by shibbershabber

Something like this?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart...24MS/105864134

I am eyeing an optima, but I need to get the cart up and running again.... dont want to drop $200 on a battery until I know the status of the rest of the cart.
But also, when it is going I want to have something decent to keep it powered while I continue the restoration.


Let me know if thats similar to the battery you got... Ill see about picking one up tomorrow.

Thanks!

Yup think that is exactly what I been running for like 4 years now, maybe longer. And I can always put it in my boat if I ever run it, not had time to mess with it.

[shibbershabber]

New starter... new cables and new battery.....

still nothing, but Im getting closer

[CP241]

What exactly is the issue you're throwing parts at?

[raydhd]

I have had the $60 pep boys Bosche in my cart for 8 years now. I do keep on the el cheapo HF trickle charger when not in use. I just fires Vicki up twice last week for season 9 with this battery.